Up To Date

Racism In The Free State

By Steve Kraske,

Published September 13, 2021 at 7:33 PM CDT

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Hays, Kansas was formed in 1867, six years after Kansas entered the union as a "free" state without slavery.

Kansas' pride in joining the union without slavery is at odds with past and present attitudes towards Black residents.

African Americans living in Kansas make up 6.1% of the state's population, but in some areas the rate can be as low as 1%.

What Black residents experience in Kansas is affected by where they live. That's because, as reporter David Condos points out, Kansas is not a monolith.

In Hays, where the African American population is 1%, those experiences can range from microaggressions to outright threats such as those Nuchelle Chance went through when she was a professor at Ft. Hays State University.

David Condos, reporter, High Plains Public Radio and Kansas News Service
Nuchelle Chance Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, Missouri Western State University

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Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Zach Wilson

As Up To Date’s senior producer, I construct daily conversations that give our listeners context to the issues of our time. I strive to provide a platform that holds those in power accountable, while also spotlighting the voices of Kansas City’s creatives and visionaries that may otherwise go unheard. Email me at zach@kcur.org.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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